When innovation meets investment: the formula powering Brisbane’s economy
BEDA's Industry Forum
Brisbane is entering a defining decade, shaped by innovation, investment and collaboration.
Brisbane Economic Development Agency invites you to a Industry Forum breakfast, showcasing the businesses, innovators and investors powering Brisbane's $275 billion economic future.
This event will spotlight the businesses, innovators and investors powering Brisbane’s $275 billion economic future. Learn about the strengths shaping Brisbane’s economic future and discover new opportunities to collaborate with and tap into the city’s thriving innovation and investment ecosystem.
A panel of local business leaders and innovators who are turning ideas into impact will be joined by keynote speaker Tracy Drain, aerospace engineer and National Geographic Explorer, sharing behind-the-scenes insights from NASA’s deep-space missions to Mars and Jupiter and the bold thinking that turns ambition into breakthrough.
Hear from other industry leaders and experts including, Dr Erin Rayment - Queensland University of Technology, Xanny Christophersen - Priestley's Gourmet Delights and Professor Trent Munro - Boggo Road Innovation Junction.
More speakers to be announced!
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Panel 1: Concept to Commercialisation. What are the drivers of successful commercialisation and the global success stories emerging from Brisbane’s innovation ecosystem.
Panel 2: Innovation In Action. Looking at practical examples of innovation being deployed at scale and the outcomes being achieved.
Registration includes a plated breakfast
PRESENTERS
Tracy Drain
Tracy Drain is a flight systems engineer who has helped develop, test, and operate a variety of robotic spacecraft for deep space exploration in a career spanning more than two decades. After obtaining B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kentucky and Georgia Tech respectively and interning at the NASA Langley Research Center as an undergraduate student, she landed a full-time position on the engineering staff at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 2000. She is a 2024 National Geographic Society Wayfinder Award recipient, and she is currently the lead flight systems engineer on the Europa Clipper mission, which should arrive at Jupiter in 2030.
Xanny Christophersen
Xanny Christophersen is the CEO and Managing Director of Priestley’s Gourmet Delights, Australia’s leading maker of premium desserts based in Brisbane. With over a decade of experience leading teams and growing businesses across Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and the UK, Xanny brings a global perspective and a hands-on approach to transformation. She’s passionate about blending technology and people, modernising manufacturing through innovation, while creating an environment where teams can grow, succeed, and shape a resilient, future-ready business.
Professor Trent Munro
Professor Trent Munro is theGeneral Manager of Boggo Road Innovation Junction. With over 25 years of experience across leading innovation districts in Australia, the USA, and the UK, Professor Trent Munro is the General Manager of the Boggo Road Innovation Junction. His career bridges industry and academia, featuring executive roles at multinational biopharmaceutical company Amgen and key leadership positions at Microba (ASX:MAP), alongside his appointment as an Industry Professor at The University of Queensland. Professor Munro is a prominent voice in the sector, serving as Chair of Life Sciences Queensland and shaping national biotechnology policy.
Dr Erin Rayment
Dr Erin Rayment is QUT’s inaugural Chief Commercialisation and Development Officer and has over 15 years’ experience in academic research, industry engagement, and commercialisation. Erin holds leadership roles in organisations that support the development and growth of the Australian innovation ecosystem, including as Director at the Translational Research Institute Australia, Chairperson of QUT Bluebox, and as a board member of the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program and Quantum Innovation Queensland. She also holds Director roles in early-stage technology companies. An interdisciplinary biologist with expertise in regenerative medicine, cell therapy and bioprocessing, Erin is a Superstar of STEM, a program that aims to increase the visibility and diversity of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Her mission is to foster collaboration, innovation, and impact across disciplines and sectors.
Dr Peter Baines
Dr Baines holds a PhD in physics and is a seasoned senior executive with extensive experience in R&D, high-tech manufacturing, and IT service organisations, involved in all aspects of R&D, sales and marketing, business development, establishing and growing business partnerships, managing distribution channels, manufacturing management, project management, creating stable performing teams and building strong, valuable relationships with customers and stake holders. He specialises in commercialisation of advanced technology having successfully grown and exited high tech startups in the past. His current role at UQ’s UniQuest is to take exciting new technologies in the physical sciences, especially quantum technologies, out into the real world via licensing deals or creating spin-out companies.
